1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

The recent layoffs across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services pose a grave threat to America's public health infrastructure and preparedness. Cutting thousands of jobs, including researchers, scientists, doctors, and key experts who guide decisions on medical research, disease monitoring, and drug/food safety regulations, severely undermines the nation's ability to protect its citizens' wellbeing. These layoffs at agencies like the CDC, FDA, and NIH strike at the core of America's defenses against infectious disease outbreaks, compromising our capability to track and respond to public health emergencies swiftly. Moreover, losing pioneering medical researchers jeopardizes critical advancements and innovations that save lives. Likewise, diminishing the FDA's regulatory oversight of food, drugs and medical products raises alarming safety concerns. Defending public health requires maintaining a robust workforce with deep institutional knowledge across all HHS agencies. Hollowing out this expertise in a bid to restructure the department is recklessly trading long-term preparedness for short-term cost-savings. These draconian cuts are an unacceptable gamble with Americans' health and safety that could have catastrophic consequences. Immediate action must be taken to halt and reverse these short-sighted layoffs that leave the nation perilously vulnerable. I will not support politicians who do not try to resist these damaging changes.